Every Lake
Lake Harriet
A streetcar line has looped Lake Harriet's western shore since 1904.
- 17 ft · first step
- 33 ft
- 49 ft
- 66 ft
- 82 ft
- 99 ft · bottom
About Lake Harriet
Lake Harriet sits in south Minneapolis, one of the city's Chain of Lakes carved out by retreating glaciers roughly 10,000 years ago. The Minneapolis park board acquired the shoreline in the 1880s under landscape architect Horace Cleveland's plan to ring the city's lakes with public parkland. The lake was named for Harriet Lovejoy Leavenworth, wife of Colonel Henry Leavenworth, who commanded nearby Fort Snelling in the 1820s. Surrounding neighborhoods — Linden Hills, Lynnhurst, Tangletown — grew up around the park through the early 1900s.
A streetcar line built in 1904 still loops the lake's western shore, one of the last remaining segments of the Twin Cities' original trolley network, now run by volunteers as a heritage line. The lake hosts a bandshell that has staged summer concerts since 1888, sailing and canoe clubs, and swimming beaches, while motorized boats are not allowed on the water. Rowers, sailors, and walkers on the surrounding path draw from the residential blocks nearby rather than from outside the city.
- 68 roads engraved around the shore, 16 of them labeled
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Lake Harriet depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Harriet depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 17 ft, 33 ft, 49 ft, 66 ft, 82 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 99 ft. The lake covers about 0.6 square miles, and 68 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Lake Harriet map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Lake Harriet for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Lake Harriet.
Lake Harriet map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Lake Harriet; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake Harriet is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 99 ft
- 0.6 square miles of water
- 68 shore roads engraved, 16 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
